1800 Flowers is Too Iffy To Recommend
Written: Sep 02 '01
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The Bottom Line
If, those few times a year when you need flowers delivered on time and to have your actual order delivered, this does not happen, you go elsewhere.
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A person's birthday only comes once a year so, in a perfect world, you want your flowers to them to be delivered on that special day, not the one that follows. Goes without saying, right? Well, I will give 1-800-Flowers an "A" for heartfelt damage control that came after their screw-up(s), but the bottom line is my mother got a floral arrangement the day AFTER her birthday and, while she ooohed and ahhhed over how pretty it was, it was not what I had ordered. In fact, it was not even close!
I went online to order flowers for my Mom's birthday with a couple of days to spare, thinking this would present little problem for whomever I chose to order them through. In fact, on the 1-800 site, it assures you that orders are guaranteed on time if you allow 24 hours so I had no reason to doubt their sincerity. The site is easy enough to navigate, and with all the various options they present you with, you hardly feel like you don't have different ideas you can toy with.
It shouldn't surprise anyone that these flower sites are extremely commercial, complete with the little teddy bears that can be dressed up as a nurse for a graduation floral arrangement or that same bear can be adorned as a blushing bride if this is for a wedding. Well, I caved in to the commercial gimmicks myself and went for a "birthday bear". It supposedly sang Happy Birthday To You when it was squeezed and, while I know it probably would have annoyed the heck out of my mom within a few squeezes, it is what I personally chose for her. With delivery charges and everything else they tack on, it came out to close to $70.00. Hey, she's my mother and she's worth it....but the ensuing hassle was NOT!
So, after selecting the Birthday Bear arrangement which came adorned with some pretty fresh cut flowers (no roses or anything that would normally make you shell out such a sum of money - the bear was the hub of this wheel) and entering credit card information, her address, etc., etc., I clicked through on the secure site and got a confirmation email right away letting me know the order was on its way and was scheduled to be delivered on her birthday.
The day of her birthday, I happened to be Instant Messaging (IMing) with my Mom, and realized it was close to 5p.m. and she hadn't thanked me for the flowers yet. So, I asked in that obvious, tacky way if she had gotten anything "interesting" today? She had gotten some cards, of course, but no flowers from what I could tell. After we logged off, I checked my email and saw that I had gotten a confirmation email from 1-800 Flowers saying they had made the delivery right around the time I had just been talking with my mother. She was going out for the evening so I knew she wasn't home but would probably be calling me later brimming over with gratitude for Mr. Bear and the flowers.
When I didn't hear from her, I called her and put niceties aside, asking her if she had gotten something from me? No, nothing. Okay, now I'm hot under the collar. It is a big no-no in my family to miss a birthday (though, of course, my calls to her and an e-card I'd sent meant something at least) so I told her I would call 1-800 the next day.
That next day, after I got home from work (where it is impossible to do anything privately), I got an email from my mother letting me know they HAD delivered the flowers that morning after she received an apologetic phone call from them, explaining her arrangement had somehow gone to the wrong address. She proceeded to thank me quite earnestly for the beautiful orchids, lillies, and whatever else they had put together. I blurted out, "You mean there's no BEAR???" She quietly said no, and I started to grouse until she said, "Now, honey, they told me they would not charge you for this, so don't make a fuss. I really like what they did end up giving me!" I pouted a bit and again apologized that she hadn't gotten what I REALLY ordered but had to let it be.
You probably know the feeling I was experiencing, the one that transports you right back to elementary school when you drew your mother a couple of color-filled circles and she hugged you close and told you how wonderful it was, even though the "wonderful" in that drawing was seen through a loving mother's eyes. It makes a seven year old feel like Picasso! It happened again with this 1-800 Flowers experience because I guess I wanted to score being "wonderful" again (with the Birthday Bear, not some flowers I didn't even recognize). Just when I thought I'd pop my cork and angrily complain to whomever would listen, I realized, "She's HAPPY...let it go. I'm not getting charged, and she likes what they sent her..."
But, I will tell you this: Over a month later, I am still "bugged" by the thought that what I personally chose and ordered never made it to its destination. So, with that said, I cannot recommend 1-800 Flowers. This is not the first time this has happened but it is the most recent and memorable. With so many other flower.coms out there, why not take your chances with someone else and, if YOU Order a Birthday Bear for YOUR Mom, and she actually receives it on time, would you do me a favor? Let me know how her face lit up the room...thanks!
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
cyndialu
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Location: Connecticut
Reviews written: 42
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
Former Boston pianist/singer for twenty years; now doing "real job" as hospice social worker.
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